Have you ever truly stopped to think about your view of God? I think there are many people in America who have a view of God far from what the bible says He is like. The reason I bring this up, is because I've been reading more in Repentance and it was brought up to me. The idea that some people think they worship the true and living God, but it's only a mere idol that has only a few of the many qualities of God, is truly sad. These are some questions that God posed to Job to help open his eyes to who he is and how Sovereign God is:
#1 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? (Job 38:4)
#2 Did you set the dimensions of the earth and draw the plans by which it was created? (38:5)
#3 On what were the foundations of the earth set? (38:6a)
#4 Who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (38:6b)
#5 Who shut the sea behind doors and keeps it from bursting forth and flooding the land? (38:8-11)
#6 Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the ends of the earth? (38:12-15)
#7 Have you ever journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked the ocean floors of Planet Earth? (38:16)
#8 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or even the shadow of death? (38:17)
#9 To what extent do you understand the vast expanse of the earth? (38:18)
#10 What direction should you take to the abode of light? And darkness where is its place? What path would you take to its territory? (38:19-21)
#11 Have you ever entered the storehouses of the snow or ever seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserved for the time of distress, for the days of war and battle? (38:22-23)
#12 Which direction should you take to reach the place where the lightning is dispersed? (38:24a)
#13 From whence are the east winds scattered over the earth? (38:24b)
#14 Who cuts the channel for the torrent of rain or makes way for the thunderstorm to bring rain on a land without people or a desert without a man in it, to satisfy the waste and desolate land and to make the seeds of grass to sprout? (38:25-27)
#15 Does the rain have a father, and who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb has the ice come and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? Are you the one who makes ice hard like stone and imprisons the fish under the winter ice? (38:28-30)
#16 Do you control the planets? Can you bind the chains of Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, and guide the Bear with her satellites? (38:31-32)
#17 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? (38:33a)
#18 To what extent do you understand and control natural law or fix its rule over earth? (38:33b)
#19 Can you speak to the clouds and produce rain? (38:34)
#20 Are the lightning bolts subject to you? (38:35)
#21 Do you endow the heart with wisdom or the mind with understanding? (38:36)
#22 Can you tell how much water the clouds hold, and can you dip out the exact amount needed when the earth is dry? (38:37-38)
#23 Do you feed the wild lions and satisfy their needs and desires? (38:39-40)
#24 Can you assume responsibility for the food of the ravens? (38:41)
#25 Do you know every occasion when a mountain goat gives birth? (39:1a)
#26 Are you the one who observes each time a doe drops her fawn? Or do you even know when they will do so? Do you know when the fawn leaves home for the first time? (39:1b-4)
#27 Were you the one who set the wild donkeys free and provided their roaming places? (39:5-8)
#28 Will the wild ox willingly consent to serve you? And when you invite him to spend the night in your manger, does he gladly come? When he is finally harnessed to your plow, can you take a long rest while he does your work? (39:9-12)
#29 Did you make the ostrich what it is? (39:13-18)
#30 Did you design the horse with its mane and provide him with strength? (39:19-25)
#31 Was it your skill by which the hawk was created, and were you the one who taught him his wondrous abilities in flight? (39:26)
#32 Does the eagle fly at your command, and is it at your instigation that he makes his nest on high? (39:27-30)
Then in verses 40:1-5, Job is left speechless and then the Lord continues asking questions through verse 34. Then Job, left speechless and with a heart that sunk, concedes to God's authority and character and repents in dust and ashes.
I think this is a beautiful portrait of how God is completely sovereign. Man is nothing. Our control apart from Christ is limited to a bondage of sin. Our view of God is imperative to our salvation. If we think that we are even slightly above God we are not converted. Our right place is beneath God, our Creator! We must bow to Him, not the other way around. What an amazing few chapters to meditate on and to humble us! Our God truly is amazing!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Most Magnificent Analogy in Scripture!
That is the title of my pastor's sermon from Sunday. It was an exposition of Romans 5:12-21, as he is going through the book of Romans. I highly recommend this sermon to anyone! I am going to go back and listen to it again! Here is the link: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=419092153135
Let me know what you think! Enjoy :)
Let me know what you think! Enjoy :)
Monday, April 20, 2009
T for Total Depravity
The T in Tulip stands for total depravity. I am going to list several verses from scripture and then explain the idea full underneath.
Romans 3:10-18
10 As it is written:
“ There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one."
13 “ Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“ The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “ Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “ Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “ There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Ephesians 2:1-5
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Genesis 6:5
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Ecclesiastes 9:3
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Jeremiah 17:9
9 “ The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
Psalm 10:4
4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.
Romans 8:7-8
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
1 Corinthians 2:14
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Isaiah 64:6a
6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
Matthew 15:19
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
Psalm 36:1-2
1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
Proverbs 28:26a
26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool
The mind is defiled:
Titus 1:15b
but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
Ephesians 4:17-18
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
Jeremiah 10:14a
14 Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge;
Our will and choice is defiled (in other words, we're enslaved):
John 8:34
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin
Galatians 4:8
8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.
Romans 6:20-21
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
2 Timothy 2:25-26
25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
Our affections/desires are perverted:
2 Timothy 3:2-4
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
Proverbs 21:10a
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
Isaiah 32:6a
6 For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
John 3:19
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 8:44a
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.
Outside of Christ we are in utter ruin:
Romans 7:18
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
Isaiah 1:5-6
5 Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.
Colossians 1:21a
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works
We are born in sin:
Isaiah 48:8
8 Surely you did not hear,
Surely you did not know;
Surely from long ago your ear was not opened.
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,
And were called a transgressor from the womb.
Psalm 51:5
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Psalm 58:3
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
Ephesians 2:3
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
That is a list of 31 verses and let's just call this part one of many to come. Wow, this was so sobering to see all these verses and write them all out. I wanted to add a definition of total depravity. Total depravity is that sin has extended to every part of a man's personality -- his thinking, his emotions, and his will. Not necessarily that he is intensely sinful, but that sin has extended to his entire being. This is why Total Depravity has also been called "Total Inability." The man without a knowledge of God will never come to this knowledge without God's making him alive through Christ.
I hope this makes sense and that it gives a clearer understanding of the T in TULIP. I have been amazed at all the scriptures I've found. It's also amazing how many of these scriptures simultaneously support the other 4 parts of TULIP. More on that later! Please feel free to comment--I do want to hear you're reasoning! If you disagree, I only ask for you to research the scriptures and explain you're reasoning through God's word! After all, it's our authority...our opinions pale in comparison!
Romans 3:10-18
10 As it is written:
“ There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one."
13 “ Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;
“ The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “ Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “ Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “ There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Ephesians 2:1-5
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Genesis 6:5
5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Ecclesiastes 9:3
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Jeremiah 17:9
9 “ The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
Psalm 10:4
4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.
Romans 8:7-8
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
1 Corinthians 2:14
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Isaiah 64:6a
6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
Matthew 15:19
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
Psalm 36:1-2
1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked:
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
Proverbs 28:26a
26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool
The mind is defiled:
Titus 1:15b
but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
Ephesians 4:17-18
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
Jeremiah 10:14a
14 Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge;
Our will and choice is defiled (in other words, we're enslaved):
John 8:34
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin
Galatians 4:8
8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.
Romans 6:20-21
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
2 Timothy 2:25-26
25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
Our affections/desires are perverted:
2 Timothy 3:2-4
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
Proverbs 21:10a
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
Isaiah 32:6a
6 For the foolish person will speak foolishness,
And his heart will work iniquity:
To practice ungodliness,
John 3:19
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 8:44a
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.
Outside of Christ we are in utter ruin:
Romans 7:18
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
Isaiah 1:5-6
5 Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.
Colossians 1:21a
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works
We are born in sin:
Isaiah 48:8
8 Surely you did not hear,
Surely you did not know;
Surely from long ago your ear was not opened.
For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,
And were called a transgressor from the womb.
Psalm 51:5
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Psalm 58:3
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
Ephesians 2:3
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
That is a list of 31 verses and let's just call this part one of many to come. Wow, this was so sobering to see all these verses and write them all out. I wanted to add a definition of total depravity. Total depravity is that sin has extended to every part of a man's personality -- his thinking, his emotions, and his will. Not necessarily that he is intensely sinful, but that sin has extended to his entire being. This is why Total Depravity has also been called "Total Inability." The man without a knowledge of God will never come to this knowledge without God's making him alive through Christ.
I hope this makes sense and that it gives a clearer understanding of the T in TULIP. I have been amazed at all the scriptures I've found. It's also amazing how many of these scriptures simultaneously support the other 4 parts of TULIP. More on that later! Please feel free to comment--I do want to hear you're reasoning! If you disagree, I only ask for you to research the scriptures and explain you're reasoning through God's word! After all, it's our authority...our opinions pale in comparison!
T.U.L.I.P
I am going to be doing some research into Calvinism. I want to know even more than already do and I am going to post what I learn on here! I am so excited to dive in even deeper into this doctrine and understanding more fully the five points of Calvinism, or Tulip as it's called. I will probably post a little at a time as opposed to one big post. Besides, it's going to take me awhile to learn it :)
Decisional Regeneration
My husband happened on to this article by James Adams after hearing about it on the Way of the Master. I thought it was amazing and truly puts into words what is going on in the majority of churches. My favorite part is this quote by Spurgeon, "The best way to promote union is to promote truth. It will not do for us to be all united together by yielding to one another's mistakes. We are to love each other in Christ; but we are not to be so united that we are not able to see each other's faults, and especially not able to see our own. No purge the house of God, and then shall grand and blessed times dawn on us,"
Here is the link to the whole article...good stuff!
http://www.the-highway.com/Decisional_Regeneration.html
Here is the link to the whole article...good stuff!
http://www.the-highway.com/Decisional_Regeneration.html
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Addition to my previous post:
What I meant by not being able to seek God is a little unclear. We cannot seek after God unless He draws us. John 6:44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." So I was saying we can't seek after God unless He breathes life into us first by drawing us.
Have you ever thought about...
the fact that every person who came to salvation in the bible never sought for it? Have you ever considered that not one person in the bible sought after God for salvation? NEVER! So, what makes us think that we can accept God and choose Him? I'm not being sarcastic..I'm just looking for a reasonable explanation for that. Truly, I just want to know. I was reading about Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. Let's be honest, Paul is valuable model for us to follow and he didn't even seek after God or choose Him. He was on his way to persecute the followers of Christ when Jesus appeared to him. So I ask again, and I'm truly looking for answers, what makes people think that we can choose God? If you believe you can choose God and seek Him, then how do you reconcile with Romans 3: 10-18? Specifically this, "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; THERE IS NONE WHO SEEK AFTER GOD."
The reason I want to know, is that most people testify that they accepted Christ and that they wanted to be saved. I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind those statements. Please don't take this as sarcasm or anger...it's just a striving for knowledge/understanding (no pun intended) :)
The reason I want to know, is that most people testify that they accepted Christ and that they wanted to be saved. I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind those statements. Please don't take this as sarcasm or anger...it's just a striving for knowledge/understanding (no pun intended) :)
Easter Sunday
I'm going to try to describe to you how amazing my Easter was! We started out the day going to church. I got to hold beautiful babies (like every Sunday) who were amazingly well behaved and were talking a lot! In fact, little Sophie didn't even want me to leave...and that's a first since I've been in there for the last 6 months. Anyway, back to my post. Then we went to the service where we had amazing worship...including one of my favorite hymns "In Christ Alone." Followed by a beautiful duet by a husband/wife.
Then, the preaching! Wow! Let's just say if you didn't believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ...after hearing that, I don't know how you couldn't! It's very rare for our pastor to actually interrupt the book of the bible he's currently preaching through to preach on a topic. It was a rare treat! I'm amazed at how he can preach for so long, so bold, and with so much conviction....obviously by the power of the Holy Spirit. I'll be honest, I've learned more over the last 2 years at Cornerstone about the bible than my whole life. He preaches verse by verse through different books of the bible and a Sunday sermon leaves on exhausted from flipping through so many different passages!
Okay, back to my post...sorry! Anyway so then we went to the park for some food, fellow ship and most importantly baptisms! The food was great...pot luck :) The fellow ship was super as usual. However, the most amazing part was the baptisms! This is the only church I've known to do baptisms in the lake and with each person sharing their testimony before getting baptized! It's gotta be the coolest thing God has allowed us to be a part of! Our pastor preaches for about 30 minutes and then each of the people getting baptized comes up one at a time to share how God saved them. I was in tears a majority of the time to hear what wickedness these people, my church family, used to live in and how God graciously pulled them out to save them! Some of them I've known for years and never knew exactly how much God had done for them! I can't even fully describe how awesome it was to hear everything, but I wish I could! I'll just say it was a little glimpse of heaven...knowing I'll be spending eternity with these people. This went on for a total of 3 hours and 15 minutes and 18 people were baptized. What a great way to celebrate the resurrection of Christ as a means to save His people!
Through that day I finally decided it's time for me to be baptized! I have been baptized 2 times in my life. The first as a child, and the second just so I could join a church. Getting baptized now would mean giving a public declaration of God's work in my life and taking that step to publicly commit my life to Christ. Josh and I will be baptized together. This won't be for many months, though, as we only do lake baptisms two times a year. When it happens, though, I'll post pictures!
Well, that's my best effort at explaining the amazing Easter we had. I hope yours was equally amazing!
Then, the preaching! Wow! Let's just say if you didn't believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ...after hearing that, I don't know how you couldn't! It's very rare for our pastor to actually interrupt the book of the bible he's currently preaching through to preach on a topic. It was a rare treat! I'm amazed at how he can preach for so long, so bold, and with so much conviction....obviously by the power of the Holy Spirit. I'll be honest, I've learned more over the last 2 years at Cornerstone about the bible than my whole life. He preaches verse by verse through different books of the bible and a Sunday sermon leaves on exhausted from flipping through so many different passages!
Okay, back to my post...sorry! Anyway so then we went to the park for some food, fellow ship and most importantly baptisms! The food was great...pot luck :) The fellow ship was super as usual. However, the most amazing part was the baptisms! This is the only church I've known to do baptisms in the lake and with each person sharing their testimony before getting baptized! It's gotta be the coolest thing God has allowed us to be a part of! Our pastor preaches for about 30 minutes and then each of the people getting baptized comes up one at a time to share how God saved them. I was in tears a majority of the time to hear what wickedness these people, my church family, used to live in and how God graciously pulled them out to save them! Some of them I've known for years and never knew exactly how much God had done for them! I can't even fully describe how awesome it was to hear everything, but I wish I could! I'll just say it was a little glimpse of heaven...knowing I'll be spending eternity with these people. This went on for a total of 3 hours and 15 minutes and 18 people were baptized. What a great way to celebrate the resurrection of Christ as a means to save His people!
Through that day I finally decided it's time for me to be baptized! I have been baptized 2 times in my life. The first as a child, and the second just so I could join a church. Getting baptized now would mean giving a public declaration of God's work in my life and taking that step to publicly commit my life to Christ. Josh and I will be baptized together. This won't be for many months, though, as we only do lake baptisms two times a year. When it happens, though, I'll post pictures!
Well, that's my best effort at explaining the amazing Easter we had. I hope yours was equally amazing!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Great Site!
After evangelism Saturday I have sought out to study more about what other religions believe. Let's just say an hour long conversation with a "universal unitarian" left me dumbfounded. If you would like to know what they believe ask me. I know now. Anyway, the girl I witnessed with gave me a website that I wanted to share as a tool for researching how to defend your faith among many other useful things! It's www.carm.org. I was amazed at what I just found out within a few minutes of being on there.
This has nothing to do with the above, but I just found out that Rick Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life, appologized on TV for signing a proposition to ban gay marriage. In fact, he is now said he will never speak out against homosexuals again. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!? I think the bible is clear on that issue!
Anyway, sorry for getting off on that. It's important to call out false teachers, or wolves in sheep's clothing. I would want someone to let me know if I was being led astray by one! Hope you enjoy the site!
This has nothing to do with the above, but I just found out that Rick Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life, appologized on TV for signing a proposition to ban gay marriage. In fact, he is now said he will never speak out against homosexuals again. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!? I think the bible is clear on that issue!
Anyway, sorry for getting off on that. It's important to call out false teachers, or wolves in sheep's clothing. I would want someone to let me know if I was being led astray by one! Hope you enjoy the site!
Easter
It's going to take me a few days to put into words the amazing Easter I had today! It's probably the best one I've ever had! We spent the day at church and then to the park with our church family for food, fellowship, and 18 baptisms in the lake! It was a day I'm not soon to forget as God was glorified in every way through so many people! I want to explain more to you later, but I just can't find the words right now! All I can say is AMAZING!!!! I hope you all had a blessed Easter celebrating the bodily resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Without the resurrection we'd all be hopeless in our sins with no hope of salvation! Praise be to Jesus who offered Himself on the cross, bore the wrath of God, for our sakes that if we repent and believe the gospel we shall be saved from an eternity of torment! Amen!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
My Poem :)
I wrote a poem on assurance of salvation! This has been on my heart for the last few months and I just decided to write a poem about it! I hope you enjoy....I wish I was told this 3-4 years ago when I was self-deceived!
"Are You Sure?"
You say you're a Christian
Let's take the test and see.
Does your life measure up
to what Christ says it should be?
Don't harden your heart
or take offense to what I say.
Listen intently
for your soul might not have another day!
I plead with you please,
examine yourself fully!
Do not self-deceive and
merely think that you are holy.
You need to know,
to know that you are saved;
Not hope and wish
that you'll be okay.
The world says it's easy,
a piece of cake to get in;
Just pray this prayer
and for sure you've gotten in.
You see that gate to heaven
is not broad and wide.
The gate is narrow,
you have to force yourself inside.
Christ said deny yourself,
your sins, your every selfish way;
Take up your cross,
being willing to die for Him one day.
He said follow Me
Obey My commands!
Are you willing
to live as the law demands?
You say you read your bible;
You've been a Christian for years.
You were baptized and have been forgiven,
or so it appears.
Examine yourself!
Those works will not save!
No one is good,
to sins we are slave!
How then? you say
can one be saved.
Repent and weep
and recognize you are depraved!
Your sins show you hate God
and despise His holiness.
Cry out for mercy and the ability
to turn to righteousness!
Christ lived the perfect sinless life
that you should have had,
and bore all your sins
and the penalty of God's wrath!
He died for you
that in Him you might live.
It's a free gift of grace,
with true repentance He'll give!
Repentance is not
just asking for forgiveness!
It's mourning over your sin
and turning from your wickedness.
When you repent
you don't just stay still,
You forsake your sin
to serve Christ and do His will!
This is not out of a heart
of mere obligation.
No! It's out of a deep
love for Christ, infatuation!
If anyone is in Christ
He is a new creation!
He now hates his sin
and tries to avoid temptation!
Do you love the brethren?
I mean with love so deep
that you would give anything
to help a brother or sister in need.
What about the lost?
Do you love them too?
Enough to bring the gospel
since they are the former you?
Don't you see the truth
that we all deserved hell?
Apart from Christ, that is
where we all should dwell!
The world hated Christ
and so it will you!
If you truly are His
perseverance will be the fruit!
So how did you do?
Did you pass the test?
Was there any doubt?
If so do not rest!
Ask God to save you!
Cry out for His mercy!
Be willing to forsake all
or you'll live in hell for eternity!
If you are sure
you must persevere,
and bear fruits of repentance
that prove you're sincere!
So I ask you once more,
Are you sure you are saved?
For the bible says there are
few who find the way!
"Are You Sure?"
You say you're a Christian
Let's take the test and see.
Does your life measure up
to what Christ says it should be?
Don't harden your heart
or take offense to what I say.
Listen intently
for your soul might not have another day!
I plead with you please,
examine yourself fully!
Do not self-deceive and
merely think that you are holy.
You need to know,
to know that you are saved;
Not hope and wish
that you'll be okay.
The world says it's easy,
a piece of cake to get in;
Just pray this prayer
and for sure you've gotten in.
You see that gate to heaven
is not broad and wide.
The gate is narrow,
you have to force yourself inside.
Christ said deny yourself,
your sins, your every selfish way;
Take up your cross,
being willing to die for Him one day.
He said follow Me
Obey My commands!
Are you willing
to live as the law demands?
You say you read your bible;
You've been a Christian for years.
You were baptized and have been forgiven,
or so it appears.
Examine yourself!
Those works will not save!
No one is good,
to sins we are slave!
How then? you say
can one be saved.
Repent and weep
and recognize you are depraved!
Your sins show you hate God
and despise His holiness.
Cry out for mercy and the ability
to turn to righteousness!
Christ lived the perfect sinless life
that you should have had,
and bore all your sins
and the penalty of God's wrath!
He died for you
that in Him you might live.
It's a free gift of grace,
with true repentance He'll give!
Repentance is not
just asking for forgiveness!
It's mourning over your sin
and turning from your wickedness.
When you repent
you don't just stay still,
You forsake your sin
to serve Christ and do His will!
This is not out of a heart
of mere obligation.
No! It's out of a deep
love for Christ, infatuation!
If anyone is in Christ
He is a new creation!
He now hates his sin
and tries to avoid temptation!
Do you love the brethren?
I mean with love so deep
that you would give anything
to help a brother or sister in need.
What about the lost?
Do you love them too?
Enough to bring the gospel
since they are the former you?
Don't you see the truth
that we all deserved hell?
Apart from Christ, that is
where we all should dwell!
The world hated Christ
and so it will you!
If you truly are His
perseverance will be the fruit!
So how did you do?
Did you pass the test?
Was there any doubt?
If so do not rest!
Ask God to save you!
Cry out for His mercy!
Be willing to forsake all
or you'll live in hell for eternity!
If you are sure
you must persevere,
and bear fruits of repentance
that prove you're sincere!
So I ask you once more,
Are you sure you are saved?
For the bible says there are
few who find the way!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
It's done: Kitty My Rib
Tonight Josh and I finished our book "Kitty My Rib" by E. Jane Mall. It was such a good book! So many twists and turns. For those of you who have no clue what this book is about I'll tell you! This is a fictionalized biography of Katherine Luther. Martin Luther's lovely wife. Martin Luther was a great reformer for faith and translated the new testament into German. Ironically enough, Josh and I just rented and watched the movie "Luther" the other night. Such a good movie! It's so amazing to see men that God has used that are not afraid to speak against false doctrine and even to the point of possibly losing their life. Anyway, back to the book, it was so good! I enjoyed learning about Martin also while reading and the 6 kids they had! They went through many trials in their life together! Yet, through everything, their faith sought them through the many difficult persecutions and sorrow! Praise God for such a godly role model in our history!
I totally recommend this book to everyone! Josh and I read it together. Honestly, he thought it would be dumb, but changed his outlook as soon as we started reading it! If you do read it, let me know what you think!
I totally recommend this book to everyone! Josh and I read it together. Honestly, he thought it would be dumb, but changed his outlook as soon as we started reading it! If you do read it, let me know what you think!
Easter
The more I think about the meaning of Easter the more humble it makes me! To think, I was a hater of God. Not just a sinner, but a hater of God, because everything I did was dishonoring to Him. I justified my sin by comparing myself to what the world views as "worse" people. The sin I committed was not "that bad." I mean, come on, I didn't murder anyone or do something as bad as some people. NO! Wrong attitude. There are no degrees of sin! If you have broken one commandment you've broken them all! I was so self-deceived and so full of pride. And to think with all that....all that sin, pride, anger, and hatred towards God, He (Christ) still died on that cross. He bore all my sin. He was PERFECT and SINLESS and He bore my sin! Wow! It puts a new meaning on the old hymn, "Amazing Grace." How amazing it is that He would do that for me when I just hated Him! I thank God how wonderful it is that He chose me out of the filth of my sin. He granted me repentance and a heart of flesh. He freed me from the slavery of sin and I have now become a slave to righteousness! How amazing it is that Christ would do that for me, knowing full well, that my heart is deceitfully wicked above all things. Amazing grace...truly amazing! Christ died on that cross, but he rose again! Praise be to God for His Son and the gift of salvation! I'll leave you with the words of "Amazing Grace." I know it's very well-known, but truly think and reflect on the words and what it means! I pray you know the amazing grace this song speaks of!
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.
The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.
When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see."
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.
The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.
When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see."
Saturday, April 4, 2009
J.W.'s
Okay, so every time my friend Amie and I got out evangelizing together we ALWAYS run into the Jehova's Witness'. Today was no exception and boy did they do a massive track attack. We thought our witnessing wouldn't amount to anything since they had already gotten halfway through the street, but we were wrong. We got to share the gospel with a catholic lady who was very soft. She wasn't a practicing catholic and said that would like to try out the church! It was worth it :) Plus, we just took off the tracts the Jehova's Witness' left on the people's doors we went to. It was worth it just for that. They are preaching a false gospel,contrary to what the bible teaches. The catholic lady said she wouldn't have talked to us if we were with them; in fact she said she would have been rude to us if we were with them. Praise the Lord for a fruitful day! I love sharing the gospel with people!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Loving it!
I am completely loving my new reading plan! It's only been 4 days, but I get so excited to do it everyday! Like my previous post, I have been majorly craving God's word! It leaves me with this feeling of "I need more." I am amazed at how much I've learned over the last few years while at Cornerstone! I can't believe how much God has shown me and how my Bible is falling apart! I am so thankful for His word! I was challenged at women's group by a true story that was shared about a a man that was severely burned in a fire. He couldn't see anymore. He wanted to read his bible, but couldn't see. He tried to read with his fingertips, but couldn't feel the brail, because his fingers had been burned so bad. Then he tried his lips. unfortunately, they were burned too bad as well. One day his tongue touched the page and he could read it! He has read the bible through 4 times using only his tongue! What an awesome testimony to the power of our amazing God who saves us and replaces our heart of stone with a heart of flesh! Praise the Lord for changed lives that actually crave the word!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
C-R-A-V-I-N-G
Okay, so I've had this major craving for God's word today! I got up late and couldn't do my reading this morning and all I could think about this morning was getting home to read my Bible! I love this feeling! It's amazing! Just thought I'd share :)
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